One thing your math teacher was wrong about was that you wouldn’t have a calculator everywhere one day. You do, and it’s most likely in your smartphone. But sometimes I find in a few situations that a good old-fashioned handheld calculator works best. Here’s why.
My Calculator Is Faster Than My Phone
A lot of the time, it’s faster to grab my cheap Casio scientific calculator than to call up my smartphone’s calculator, particularly the Samsung Galaxy calculator, which does havesome nifty features of its own. I’ll use the latter if I’m out and about since I prefer to carry only the devices I need.
At home, I don’t want to lose my train of thought. I pull out my calculator, and since it’s solar-powered, it only needs ambient light.
My Calculator Has Features Most Phone Calculators Don’t
There are some features of my scientific calculator that I would have to install as a separate app or usean online calculatorfor.
One of them is fractional calculations. In the US, customary measurements dominate, which means lots of fractional measurements. It’s a chore to find the least common multiple. Fortunately, my Casio lets me add, subtract, divide, and convert them to decimal. It’s convenient for DIY, woodworking, and adjusting recipes in the kitchen.
Another feature I find useful is sexagesimal, or base-60 calculations. These are used to calculate fractions of angles, but the degree-minutes-seconds mode also translates into hours, minutes, and seconds for time calculations.
Pressing Calculator Buttons Is Fun!
Sometimes, I just like the tactile feel of calculator buttons under my fingers. Using a smartphone just doesn’t seem as satisfying, even though I’ll use one in a pinch. This is probably more sentimental, but there’s just something about older tech, even if my calculator is relatively new.
I guess I’m one of those people who’s fascinated by older tech, and I’m not alone. Other calculator enthusiasts love to show off TI, Casio, and HP calculators of a bygone era in the way others like to show off classic cars, such as theCalculator Culture YouTube channel.
